Reverse around a corner

Kanovara

I have taken my test so many times I can hardly keep track... my biggest black cloud hanging over me is the reverse around the corner. I may get it right once every 5 attempts. No matter how many videos I watch or how many tips I try to take on board, when I am practicing everything pretty much goes out the window. I have even ended up with my front wheels on the curb....Help...

Thoie

Not sure if this will help, but "reversing around a corner" is essentially seeing if you can park - for example reversing into a parking space in a supermarket, or reversing into your own driveway. I built it up as this huge "other" thing in my head. They're looking for control and observation. The kerb is taking the place of another car/gate pillar during the manoeuvre.

Are you at a level yet where you can reverse into a driveway/parking spot?

This was always the “trickiest” bit of the learning to drive process and I think you may have to throw out of your head all the tips you ever learned. Fortunately for my test the Tested gave me the easiest curve in the world to reverse around so I passed straight off. I learned back in the day, decades ago, where you could literally practice away by yourself. I used to obsessively practice hill starts on the steepest possible hill I could find, 3 point turns on the narrowest quiet road I could find, and reverse turns on the most challenging quiet turn I could find… a turn that was more like a 45% angle than a 90% one, just to make it as difficult for me as possible. I matched that with an attitude that it is almost “easier” to master this than not to. I put it into my head that it actually took effort to get it wrong! I put myself through it all countless times, so it was totally committed to my muscle memory by the time I did my test.

As above poster said, imagine the kerb is an object that could be damaged. Maybe a line of kittens you must avoid!

mortis43

Remember on test day it’s generally better to go slightly too wide than way too close to the kerb. Hitting the kerb generally would be a grade 3, going a smidge too wide would likely only be a grade 2. Obviously specific circumstances vary but keeping this in mind may help you if you’re having a really hard time of it.

Gamb!t

Dont forget to adjust your mirror before your reverse so that you can follow the corner and readjust it after completing the reverse before moving off again.